Recorded by Ian Van Opijnen (Born Without Bones, Energy, The Hotel Year) and originally self-released by the band in late 2010, We Ruined The Neighborhood is busting at the seams with passion, buoyant enthusiasm and a truckload of sing-along hooks. There's no doubt that Challenges is a young band with energy to spare. In that respect, the quintet's debut follows in the footsteps of contemporaries such as The Wonder Years, Four Year Strong and fellow Bay Staters, Transit. However, Neighborhood is able to harness that electricity and wrap it around engaging song structures and a surprisingly mature grasp of composition, bringing to mind pop-punk forefathers like Blink 182 and New Found Glory.
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